A Twist in the Plans
by Muldoon22
Summary: Barney helps a saddened Lily get back on her feet. Ted and Robin get high on some "sandwiches"
1. Rejection

Marshall rejected her. Shot her down. Why? After all the moping she heard about from the others, she thought he would snatch her back up faster than you could say Jack Robinson. But here she was, alone, sad, desperate. Wandering the streets of the city she loved so much. A city she wasn't so familiar with since returning from San Francisco. Alone in this city. It got colder suddenly. Wasn't too surprising. New York nightlife always plunged in temperature. She wishes she was warm. She looked up. Where was she? Her mind wandered and she was in an area of the city she never been too before. Strange looking people coming out of rundown buildings. A woman passed by shaking. Unfortunately not because it was cold. Lily's emotions turned from sadness to fear. A scraggly looking man with a wacked out beard blocked her path.

"Hey, girly." he stammered, evidently drunk. "Thas' a purdy necklace you's wearing."

"T-Thank you." Lily said, trying to pass by. He moved in front of her.

"You's ain't so bad yerself. How's 'bout you's and me's get in that there alleyway and have us some fun." he pulled on Lily's arm and tried dragging her into the alley.

"No-Help!" she cried. Just as they got into the alleyway, a figure emerged from the darkness and conked the man on the head. He crumpled to the ground. The other figure emerged from the darkness.

"Barney?" Lily asked in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Same could be asked about you." he responded, stepping over the man's form and taking Lily's hand. "Let's get you out of here."

They walked back to the sidewalk and Barney hailed for a taxi. He looked towards Lily, who was still shivering.

"Shaking from the cold or what just happened?" Barney asked.

"Both, I guess." Lily responded.

Barney removed his jacket and draped it over Lily's shoulders.

"Thanks." Lily said as the taxi pulled up. She looked back at the man in the alley. "Will he be alright?"

"Idle Willy has took more fierce blows to the head than that, he'll be fine." Barney replied, climbing in, holding the door open for Lily.

"You know him? How?" she asked, closing the door behind her.

"He used to be CEO of my company." Barney replied. The taxi pulled away. "But that isn't what's on my mind right now. What is is why you were wandering around the boondocks of Manhattan."

"Marshall rejected me." she said tearfully. The taxi driver produced a box of tissues, to the mixed confusion of his passengers. Lily thanked him and blew her nose.

"Rejected you, why?" Barney asked.

"He said that he wants to see a life outside of me. I guess I couldn't blame him, the way I acted this summer. I broke his heart."

"He just needs time. He'll come around. He still loves, deep down. Hell, I spent the past few nights stealing dates from him to keep the path to you clear."

"Really? You did that for us? There's a lot more to you than I originally thought."

"I thrive to surprise." he jokingly retorted, as the taxi pulled up in front of his place.

"What's your living situation?"

"Motels mostly."

"You can have my bed tonight if you want. Couch is pretty comfy."

"You don't have to."

"I do, because if I don't, I wouldn't really feel up to finding you in the boony's again."

"Fine." Lily said concededly and they both filed out of the taxi and into the building.

Lily realized it would be the first time she'd be in there. It probably be better than that neighbourhood. She shuddered at the thought and walked through the door and into the unknown.


	2. Locked Up

Lily stayed with Barney for a week afterwards. But one morning, Barney woke to discover Lily gone, leaving behind a note:

_Barney, thanks for the unexpected hospitality. I feel it's time I find my own place and try to figure out my next move. See you around_

_- Lily _

Barney acknowledged what he just read and proceeded to begin his morning routine. Maybe he would call her later. She how she was doing.

"I am constantly hitting wall after wall." Lily distressed as she talked with Robin and Ted at MacLaren's.

"Well, not being rude, but you can't really expect to just come back to your old life and find things easy." Robin responded.

"I know, but I keep getting scooped for apartments, I'm still waiting to hear back about my teaching job and I have debts to pay off. I probably should have stayed at Barney's."

"You stayed with Barney?" Ted asked.

"Yes, he gave me his bed for a week. He slept on the couch, meaning he didn't try anything if that's what you mean."

"No, no. It's just, you stayed at Barney's."

"And nothing happened." Robin interjected.

"What did it look like?" Ted asked.

"It was black walled, he had a Clone Trooper suit-"

"Sweet!"

"It was different than what I expected it to be."

Robin downed what remained in her beer bottle and stood up. "I need to get going. See you all tonight."

"Yeah, me too." Lily said, picking up her purse and headed for the door.

"I'm concerned about her." Ted whispered.

"Me too. Marshall rejecting her, no work, no apartment. I hope she'll be alright."

Lily was browsing through a clothing shop in Manhattan. She had viewed a few apartments beforehand, but they did not suit her taste. She spotted a nice looking dress and pulled it off the rack. Measuring it up against her, it seemed like it could fit. She looked at the price: $87.00

_Yikes, that's way out of my price range. But it's just so amazing. Maybe no one's looking.._

She looked towards the cash register. No one looking. She slipped the dress into her bag and began headed for the door.

"Excuse me, miss."

Lily whirled around. The woman at the front desk was moving towards her, accompanied by a police officer.

_Shit_

"Ma'am, can you please remove the dress from your bag, please." the officer commanded.

Lily opened her bag and handed it to the shop worker.

"I'm really sorry." said Lily.

"Ma'am, I will have to arrest you for shoplifting." the officer said.

Lily's eyes widened.

_Nice going, you idiot_

"Can you please turn around?"

Lily turned around and the officer produced a pair of handcuffs. He took hold of her hands and cuffed them.

"Have you ever been arrested before?"

"Once. Not for shoplifting." Lily sputtered.

"And what is your name?"

"Lily. Lily Aldrin."

"Ok, the charge is grand larceny. Come on."

He took hold of her arm and brought Lily out to a nearby police car.

"Anything else in your pockets?"

"No."

"Ok." the officer opened the car door and instructed Lily to get in. Once she was seated, he buckled her seatbelt around her and shut the door.

_Great, Aldrin. You're going to jail._

Lily leaned her head back and sighed as the car pulled out into the heavy city traffic.

She was sitting in the jail cell, a place she unfortunately wasn't unfamiliar with. She had called Robin, embarrassed Unfortunately, Robin and Ted were currently "incapacitated". But we'll get to that.

"Ms. Aldrin, your bail's been set." the guard said, unlocking the jail door.

"Oh, thank god. My friend Robin ca-"

Barney walked into the cell.

"Barney. What are you doing here?"

"Robin called. She wasn't able to get out from work so she asked me to come down. Stu, could you close that door for a second?"

The guard, Stu, nodded his head and relocked the cell door.

"First off, you know him? And why did you-"

"Not important. What I want to know is why you tried to steal a dress from a very security riddled store?"

Lily sat back down on the bench. "I don't know, I just wanted something I wanted for once. I want my life back. And seeing something that's there, something I really wanted, right at my fingertips, I just couldn't resist the temptation."

Barney nodded, a sign he understood.

Lily looked at him. "Go ahead, laugh. Judge me."

"I wouldn't do that. Frankly it would make me a hypocrite, as I've been here before."

Lily chuckled. "Can we go? I don't want to be here too much longer."

"Yeah." Barney said, hailing Stu back over to unlock the door.

"Oh yeah, fortunately for you the store isn't pressing charges and this won't go on your permanent record."

"Good. I think that would have damaged my chances of getting my job back. Can we just try to forget this?"

"Sure." Barney said, and the two walked out of the cell.

Outside the police station, Barney hailed for a taxi. "Still need a place to stay?"

"Yeah."

"It would probably ideal to come back to my place. Last time you left you ended up here."

"I thought we agreed-"

"I know, I know."

"It's just, I feel like I'm imposing."

"Trust me, you're not."

"Ok, then."

A taxi pulled up and they got in. "MacLaren's Bar." Barney told the driver.

Ted heard a knock on his door. "Ted, it's me, Robin."

Ted opened the door. "Robin, what's-"

Robin held up a big bag of "sandwiches".

Ted looked out into the hall. "Marshall!"

"What?"

Ted pointed to the bag of "sandwiches" Robin was holding.

"Let's make sure the windows are closed." he responded, and Robin entered the apartment and shut the door.


	3. Update

I do plan on updating soon, once I have found an ideal way of making the two form a companionship. PM me suggestions if you want, all help is welcomed if it helps the story progress. In the meantime, you can check out my previous stories for How I Met Your Mother or the ones I wrote for The Office, Dick Tracy, Three's Company and Tron.

- Muldoon22


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